How versus Why

I was talking with a couple New Hope women not too long ago. Both of them have grown children. They were reminding me again how quickly time flies. My girls are 12 and 14, so I know how quickly 14 years can fly by. They were saying to me what I say to a young mom who has children in diapers...keep watching because before you know it they'll be past all the little songs, past the potty training, past the princess dresses...

So..fast-forward a few days...Today I started listening to the audio version of Through Painted Deserts, by Donald Miller (also the author of Blue like Jazz). So far I love the book. It contains a few of my favorite things: friendship, traveling, and a Volkswagen bus. I didn't actually get very far in the book, but there was a line I heard that just keeps ringing in my ears. He asks the question, "is my 'how' validated by my 'why'?"

He says oftentimes people go through life trying to figure out the 'how'. How will I get a better job? How will I purchase my home? How will I get the stuff I want? Sometimes the better question is 'why'?

So, as I've been going through this day, I've been asking myself if my 'how' is validated by my 'why'. It's been interesting....Today it is helping me see God in everything. It is helping me see that ultimately life is about relationships. For me, there is no 'why' to point back to apart from God.

Let's face it, we can't all experience magical moments every second of every day, but there is something about lining your activity up with your why that seems to give even the mundane (like driving kids to volleyball practice) new meaning.